Benevolence
by Athese
Summary: Mikey gets badly injured during a mission, but Don is unable to fix him. Leo has to make the decision, get him to a hospital, or let him die. Rated T. No character death. One-shot


I've read a lot of stories where one of the turtles is injured really badly, and Don somehow pulls off a miracle surgery to save him. And that isn't bad necessarily, I mean it's fanfiction, if talking turtles exist, Don can surely be smart enough to pull off a surgery by studying it. But I wanted a story where this wasn't the case. So they can all stitch up and all.. but surgery...?

Hope you like it! *Review review* *hint hint* :D

TMNT

I remembered moving, sprinting, anything. But every attempt proved to be futile. A scream tore out of my mouth but I didn't even hear it myself. Did I scream his name? Did I just scream? I didn't know, I could only dive towards the falling figure of my littlest brother, crashing down.

It seemed so silent, and the figure fell as if it was a movie, edited to be in slow motion. As Mikey continued to fall, I continued to run towards him. Trying to catch him. But then everything sped up, and his plastron crashed into the fire hydrant with full force.

The sound resonated through the night, almost unbelievably loud.

"MIKEY!" I heard someone else scream but I continued running, sliding onto my knees. I heard fighting above me, where Rocksteady was still fighting Don and Raph, where Bebop threw Mikey off the rooftop.

"No no no no no, Mikey" I whimper almost, dropping my katana's without really caring. Mikey gasped, hands flying to his chest. "Careful, leave it" I order, catching his wrists and putting them to his side. I had no idea what to do, if I was doing the right thing. The only thing I could focus on the falling figure of my little brother.

The way he fell downwards, head and plastron down before crashing onto a fire hydrant that was next to the streets.

Mikey coughed below him, blood splattering over his own face.

"Tasukete kudasai Don!" I screamed in panic, hands hovering over Mikey's body. I couldn't do this, Don knew what to do. Don would know how to save him. I frowned, not even realising I had switched back to Japanese to call for help.

"Iki ga dekimasen" Mikey gasped out, following my example and I frown, heart jumping in panic as Mikey indeed continued to take in raspy breaths.

"Just breathe, please just focus" I ranted, panic causing my heart to hammer at my chest. I couldn't lose him, I couldn't lose any of my little brothers. Mikey coughed pitifully again, blood streaming down the side of his mouth, the single droplet worse than any wound I had seen on my brothers.

Broken bones, cuts, bruises, everything we could handle. But Don had educated us enough to know what this was. Mikey was suffering from internal damage, and no matter how good Don was, no matter how smart he was, no one could learn to do surgeries on his own, not this quick, not to the level of today's doctors.

"Mikey!" I heard Raph cry out behind me, crashing down on his knees as well but hands not touching Mikey. " _What happened?!"_ Raph cried out in Japanese, the question obviously not meant to be answered. It was all too clear what had happened. There was a dent in Mikey's plastron, just below his heart.

The dent was in the size of the fire hydrant, crack spreading everywhere and in every direction. A low amount of blood was seeping through the bigger cracks but the most blood was coming out of his mouth.

I didn't even pay attention, or ask where the mutants had gone to. I couldn't only pay attention to Don approaching us. His eyes went wide and he seemed to freeze at the sight of Mikey's body. The latter cried out in pain, struggling to roll onto his side but Don shot forwards, forcing him onto his shell.

Tears were pushed past Mikey's eyes and he looked at us with pain and betrayal.

His skin was visibly paling and turning a freakish colour blue, veins pulsing in his throat. It was clear to everyone what was going on, _collapsed lung._

" _We have to get to a hospital"_ Don whispers, frozen and body rigid. " _I-I… I can't treat this.. we have to.."_

" _We can't Donnie_ " Raph whispers, too shocked to put up much of a fuss. Mikey coughed again, scraping his throat.

"N-no .. hosp-" He rasped, hand slowly trailing up to his plastron subconsciously but I immediately grasped his wrist again. "C-ca..n't-"

"Don't speak" Don snapped, but I don't think he even cared about offending anyone at this moment.

"Don?" I ask and Don whirls around to look at me.

"He's going to die if we don't get him to a hospital" He says softly and I narrow my eyes, turning my head away for a moment. Raph was right, Mikey was right, we couldn't go to a hospital. We couldn't be seen, couldn't be known to the public or they would hunt us. But what choice did we have?

It was being hunted or living with the three of us.

"Raph.. get Mikey"

TMNT

"No, I'm telling you Vic, she was the worst" The girl laughs, throwing her gloves into the trashcan and walking to the side of the room, to stash away the equipment.

"Come on sis, she couldn't have been that bad" Vic snickers, watching his sister with an amused gaze as she walked around the room. Emely eyes at her brother, rolling her eyes before returning to her work. Or rather, finishing up her work.

"It was the worst date I ever had, it was just plain awkward" She complained. "I'm never going to you for dating advice, I mean why did I even trust you, not like you can hold a relationship for more than one night."

"That's harsh Em" Vic laughs, standing up and walking to the cabins and closing them. "You know you love me" He continues, watching as his sister put away the last medical supplies that had been used today, of course thoroughly cleaned to avoid infections and basically lawsuits against her clinic.

Emely was Victor's little sister, 5 years younger. Even if neither of them were little still. Emely was already 28 years old, and was the boss of a successful clinic, despite her young age. She was smart, and thoughtful. The clinic wasn't much, and she mostly ran it by herself, but her brother Vic helped a lot with both keeping her company and bookkeeping.

"You're a dork" Em replied, looking around the room one more time. "I just need to put something away, then I'm done. Can you shut the lights in the hallway?" Vic nods at the request, exiting the room and leaving Emily alone. She frowned after awhile, and turned around. The lights were still on, and it was awfully quiet.

No signs that her brother was still out there, and no signs of other life.

"Hello?" She asks quietly before mentally slapping herself. She slowly took a few steps back, blindly reaching for the drawer that kept her surgical knives.

"Don't even think about it" A sudden voice entered the room and Em's blood ran cold, body locking up almost. She instantly drew her arm back to her side and within seconds she could feel something press against her neck.

Another voice entered the room, but the language was not something she could understand. It sounded Asian, as far as she could recognise other languages despite English. The first voice answered, in the same language as before. Two low thuds were heard and despite her better judgement, she whirled around at the sound.

"Don't scream" The first voice growled, stepping in closer and whirling her around.

"What are you?!" Emely cried out, hands involuntarily flying up to the one standing behind her but her wrists were caught easily. "What have you done with Vic? Where's Victor? VICTOR?!" She bucked off her slightly but the person… animal behind her was too strong for her.

"Your brother is fine, for now" The voice hissed and Em's gaze travels to the arm holding her captive, green, scaly skin with three fingers attached to it.

"What do you want?" Em said, voice quivering slightly. Another reptile stepped in front of her, a purple coloured mask around his eyes.

"Our brother is in danger" He said and Em almost frowned in confusion. The tone was soft, hurt and vulnerable. Her gaze travelled to the side, where 2 others were present. But what stood out immediately was the fact that one of them was carrying the other. _Injured_.

"And why is that my concern?" She bit back and the purple one frowned.

"We can't go to a hospital, you would know why, but he needs medical attention." He spoke, taking a step forwards. Em tenses even more, pressing herself back but hitting the figure behind her. "Cure my brother to save your own"

There was a short silence, but slowly Em nodded, swallowing thickly. The purple one looked past her, and carefully the hold on her was released and the figure walked around her to the purple one. This one wore a blue mask around his eyes.

"Get Mikey on the table" The purple one ordered and immediately the red one carried the orange one, Mikey apparently, to the table. The creature cried out when his shell touched the table, blood splattering on the table and himself.

"Shouldn't he be at a vet?" Em found herself asking. Before she could even comprehend her own question something flew past her, brushing her ear. Her hand flew to her ear, feeling a slight bit of blood come off. She stared right back at the red reptile, who was glaring at her with venomous eyes.

"We're not _just_ animals lady" He hissed and the blue one frowned, stepping forwards and snapping at the red one, again in the foreign language. The red one shouted something as well, before turning to Emely again. "You better start now!" He snapped at her and immediately Em darted over to the table.

She stared at the creature below her. The red one had positioned himself at the end of the table, near Mikey's head. The purple one was standing next to him, on the other side of Em and the blue one was standing guard. _And she had no idea how to start_.

"I-I .. how do I treat him?" She stammered. The orange creature cried out again, tears leaking down his face. The red one carefully reached for him, grasping one of his hands and sliding off the mask around his eyes, wiping away the lingering tears. _So gentle, so caring_.

"He has a collapsed lung, you need to cut away his plastron" The purple one murmurs. "We're the same as you underneath, as far as I now" He adds the last sentence silently but Em still caught it.

"Okay.. uhm…" She swallows again, glancing over to the blue one. "I'm going to get gloves and a saw okay?" She asks and the blue one nods curtly. She swiftly makes her way over to the drawer, taking out a pair of gloves before reaching for the saw. Swiftly she reached for the knife as well.

Sweat was making its way down her back as she walked back to the table. Her hand clenched around the metal and she suddenly swung out. She didn't hit anything though, and before the swing had even ended, the knife was taken away from her. She blinked a couple of times

"Don't try that again if you want to see your brother alive again" The blue one hisses, venom practically dripping from his voice. "Don't make me hurt him Emily, we just want to save our brother" She glances at the creature on the table again, whose struggles were slowly increasing again, before coughing up some more blood again.

She glances at the blue one, stepping backwards until she hit the table, only then did she dare to turn around again.

"What are you waiting for?" The red one snapped and her head snapped up, feeling herself pale significantly.

"I- he needs anaesthetic .. right?" She murmurs and the purple one nods, looking at her drawers. "Second top drawer" She bit her lip. _How sentient were they? Would they understand what to look for?_ The purple one nodded, walking to the drawer before picking out the fluid drip she was referring to.

"Shit!' She suddenly curses as the purple one hands over the stuff. "Second closet, I need the tube" She says, shaking her head. Her mind felt clouded, numb almost. The stress was getting to her, but she couldn't afford to forget basic procedures right now. Not when her brother's life depended on the creatures' life.

"Keep it together" The purple one whispers, handing her the tube. She flinches as his hand brushes against her glove and she takes a step backwards quickly. A hurt look crosses his features but left the moment she took a hesitant step forwards again.

She reaches for the drip the creature had just given her, hanging it onto the pole that was, luckily, still standing next to the table. She glanced at the red one hesitantly, who was holding the arm she needed. He glared at her, but slowly gave the arm to her. Mikey whimpered, and the red one immediately forget about her.

Yet again, it surprised her how caring he seemed, bending down and whispering words in his.. ears. The former orange masked creature closed his eyes, body still rigid from pain but his whispering seemed to calm him down, make the pain more manageable. And made it easier for Emely to insert the needle.

The creature didn't seem to feel the needle at all, too consumed with the pain he was already feeling. All three of them watched warily as the human girl picked up the saw, starting it. She glanced at the purple one but he didn't seem to object as she carefully put the special saw against his plastron.

...

She had no idea how long it had taken her, but by the time she put the special gauze on the turtle's plastron, her hands were shaking heavily.

"Uhm… there are stocking in the lowest drawer" She whispered, licking her lips. The purple one obliged, taking out a pair of stockings but she shook her head when he offered it to her. "Put it on his legs" She whispered, linking her hands together to stop them from shaking.

"And now?!" The red one snapped harshly and again the blue one shot back something in the other language. The red one almost immediately backed down, gaze down. She hadn't dared to put him under completely, so tired blue eyes stared up at the other species. Eyes red and still filled with tears.

"He'll be okay with rest.. I think"

"You think?!" The red one snapped and Em flinched harshly.

"I've never treated whatever you are! I have no clue if I did the right thing" She snapped right back at him, and the red reptile immediately looked down, a.. _sad_ look on his face?. "I want to see my brother" She whispers. The red one didn't respond but the blue and purple one locked eyes, before the blue one nodded.

He put his swords back on his shell, walking out of the room. Emely swallowed again, gazing at the purple creature. He looked right back at her, auburn eyes kind and caring. She slowly opened her mouth but stopped when she heard struggling coming her way. Her eyes widened as she saw the blue one dragging Vic in.

"Vic!" She cried out but didn't dare to move. The blue one had a firm grip on her brother's arms, which were bound behind his back, and a gag was stuffed between his teeth. His eyes went wide when he saw his little sister, renewing his struggles slightly. The blue one took out something out of his belt, slashing through the ropes and giving him a small push.

With swift movements Vic tore off his own gag, letting it hang around his throat.

"What have you done with her?!" Vic screamed, whirling around and swinging at the red one. Immediately the red one moved out of the way, reaching for his belt and pulling out his weapons. Vic had no time to react, the butt of the weapon slamming into the back of his head, causing him to crumble to the ground.

"NO!" She cried out, charging forwards and putting a hand on top of the gauze that was covering Mikey's wound. The creature beneath her cried out in pain at the slightest touch. The red one's eyes widened, reaching down and hauling Victor up by the gag around his throat. The human choked, hands flying to the fabric in sheer panic.

"Hands off my brother!" The red one sneered in panic, pulling the gag a bit higher. Vic let out a choking sound, pushing himself on the tips of his feet.

"Hands off mine!" Em shot back but her hands were trembling, and she accidently pressed a bit harder, earning another cry of pain.

"Enough!" The purple one screamed, and before she knew it something collided with her head. She stumbled backwards and before she knew it she stumbled against the other one, the blue one. She looked at the offending weapon, the long stick that was pointed at her. She felt blood trickle down the side of her head.

"Don Soreha no tame ni sashidegamashīdeshita" The blue one behind her snapped, turning Emely around and looking at the wound. "It's not deep" He muttered, still a dark look on his face. He grabbed her arm again, pushing her against the wall without much force and not surprisingly not hurting her.

He pushed her down and she obliged, too afraid to fight back again, she slid down the wall until she was sitting down.

"Watashi ni kare o ataeru" He ordered, extending his arm towards the red one and Em's brother. The red one narrowed his eyes but eventually pushed the man towards the blue one. Too much force was behind the push and Vic was unable to stop himself from stumbling into the blue one.

The latter immediately grabbed his arms, forcing them behind his back and tying them before shoving him towards Em. Immediately the girl reaches out, pulling her brother close.

"Don't remove his restraints" The blue ones hisses, turning back to the table. "Kare wa dono yō ni?" He asked and Em looked up hesitantly. Both the purple one and the red one were crowded around the injured one on the table, while still able to look at the two humans in the room.

"Shukketsu shinai" The purple one said and the other two seemed to visibly relax at the statement.

"Leo?" Another voice entered the room suddenly and everyone, except the injured one, turned towards the door. A girl, no older than 20, walked into the room. She had ginger coloured hair, and had blue eyes with a few freckles. _Did they threaten her as well?_.

"No! Get out of here!" Em tried to warn her but the girl didn't seem to hear her at all, looking around with a horrified expression.

"What the hell Leo?!" She cried out, walking over to the blue one, Leo. Victor wanted to open his mouth to scream at her, to warn her about them, but much to his surprise, the blue one seemed to flinch at the shout almost. "What happened?"

She whirled around, looking at the purple one instead, as if he was the one to answer the question for her, even if it was clear that the blue one was the most important in the team, the leader of some sorts.

"We had to make sure they wouldn't hurt Mikey" He whispered softly and the girl seemed horrified.

"How is he?" She whispers, glancing back at the humans for a second. She seemed conflicted but eventually sprinted the short distance towards the table. "Mikey?" She whispered softly and Mikey cracked his eyes open again, revealing bloodshot eyes towards the girl.

"Hey April" He whispered softly, voice hoarse from the surgery and painkillers he just had. _So the girl's name was April_. The girl reached for his hands without any hesitation. The hand was so small inside his but she didn't seem to mind. Mikey squeezed the hand, but so softly and so caring.

"How are you feeling?" She asks softly and Mikey blinks sluggishly.

"He will be okay" The purple one spoke, glancing at the two humans that were still on the ground. April followed his line of sight, frowning.

"And will _they_ Donnie?" She asked, a sharp undertone in her voice.

"We did what we had to, we didn't hurt them until _she_ hurt Mikey on purpose" He retorted, pointing at Emely. "We only did what was necessary"

"This is necessary?" She cried out, brushing past Leo's figure and crouching down next to the two humans. The girl seemed suspicious, even of her but April paid no attention to the confused and maybe petrified faces she was getting. She understood the reaction.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asks gently and Em nods, still shaking slightly. April frowns, looking at the wound on her forehead. "We have to treat it"

TMNT

Before April had even uttered the sentence I was already walking over to the siblings that were still on the ground. April glared at me, still kneeling in front of the two humans. I shoot her an apologetic look, slowly crouching down. The girl, Emely seemed to flinch heavily while Vic just shuffled closer to his little sister.

"I'm not going to hurt you" I whisper, glancing at April for a moment. "I know… I know you may not believe it but I did what I had to to save my little brother" All three humans are silent, Emely watching me warily.

"Your little brother?" She asks and I nod, barely containing a smile from spreading across my face at the gentle tone in her voice.

"These are my little brothers, and they mean the world to me" I whisper, gesturing to Raph and Don still standing around Mikey.

"Why did you attack us?" Vic glares. "You jumped me, choked me" Vic's brown eyes travel to Raph, who seemed to glare right back at him. Of course Raph wouldn't be sorry for that, he was protecting Mikey after all. And I can't really blame him to be honest. I would've done the same every other day.

But I knew that that wouldn't help our situation, so I shook my head, signalling Raph to stay quiet for now.

"Because humans always attack us when they see us, for obvious reasons" I cringe slightly, despite being used to it, it still stung to know that humans were afraid of us just because of our looks. Even if I understood why. "We didn't want to hurt you, really.

"So you didn't kidnap that girl?" Emely asks, and April snorts loudly.

"Quite the opposite" She says and I smile. _Saved her from being kidnapped is more like it_.

"Will you let Don take a look at that wound? It's the least we can do" I ask, offering my hand to her. Vic seemed to be ready to explode, or attack again but Em slowly shakes her head. I frown.

"I-I… I think I believe you…but I would rather go home" She says softly, looking at her brother. I frown, turning around to look at Don. But my second youngest brother nods. I turn back to her, looking at her wound again, but Don was probably right, it was alright to let her go without him looking at it.

"That's okay" I say, offering her my hand. Emely hesitates for a moment before she almost reluctantly places her hand on mine. I carefully help her up, before helping Vic up as well. "Sorry about everything" I apologise as I remove his restraints. He glares slightly, rubbing his wrist but immediately shields Emely.

"I hope he gets better" She mutters as Vic leads her past us. I nod, watching them until they have left the room before turning back to Mikey again.

"Hey buddy" I mutter and he looks at me with tired eyes. "Let's get him home" I say, rubbing his arm before allowing Raph to step in. Raph carefully lifts Mikey up, earning a loud groan from Mikey but he didn't seem to be in too much pain.

"Don, can you take some pain medicine?" I ask. "And yes, we are paying for it later" I add, causing Raph to snort sarcastically. Don nods, grabbing a bag full of medicine we would definitely need the upcoming days or weeks even.

"Let's go" I order as Don is ready.

TMNT

"You better not move until I tell you something else" Don glares down at his only little brother, who in turns nods sleepily, but still with a cheesy grin on his face. I walk over to the couch as well, gently grabbing his legs and lifting it up so I could place them on my lap. As I set down, I looked at Mikey.

My youngest brother was looking at me sleepily, and almost warily.

"You comfy?" I ask, and he nods sleepily.

"I'm good" He says, but his voice is raw, tired, exhausted. Without even realising it I reach for his feet, carefully massaging it. A low chuckle resonates from Mikey, and a smile passes over his face. I continue for a few seconds before looking at him again.

"Please be honest this time okay?" I whisper softly and he frowns for a second, before a look of understanding passes over his face.

"It's just a dull ache, Leo, stop worrying" He croaks, and I look at him with a sceptic look. "Okay, it hurts like shell. But D is getting something so I'll be fine" I sigh at the confession, hating the fact that Mikey always tried to hide his own pain for the sake of us. I'm not sure if the others had caught onto Mikey's act.

He would always pretend the world was ending when he was injured in a non-lethal way. Like having a gash, or a broken something. And he would basically scream bloody murder, just so we wouldn't be suspicious when he tried to hide a wound from us. This wasn't hiding a wound, but more hiding how much it hurt.

 _And I hated that he wasn't honest._

"Mikey, I know you don't want us to worry, but please don't lie to us about the pain" I say softly, looking him in the eyes. "For all we know it could be something dangerous, but even if it's not, we'd rather worry than have you be in pain little bro" I gave another nudge against his legs and he smiled slightly.

"Force of habit I guess" He mutters, and I shake my head, looking up when Don walked out of the lab and towards us.

"How bad is the pain?" He asks, setting down an IV drip next to Mikey, along with some other stuff, and painkillers of course. I look at Mikey with a sharp look, pinching his feet again just to make myself clear. But he doesn't pay attention to me, grimacing slightly.

"Between a 6 and a 7, I guess" He mutters, almost too low for us to hear it. _Between a 6 and a 7. Between distressing and unmanageable._ Which was logical, since Mikey was obviously not able to do any activities because of the pain, but he was still lucid enough for it to be less than an eight.

Don smiles sadly, grabbing the rubbing alcohol and cleaning the inside of Mikey's arm. Carefully he inserted the needle, after finding a vein, and attached the rest to the IV stand. Mikey closes his eyes as the pain medication makes its way into his body, taking a shuddering breath.

"Better?" Don asks, and Mikey blinks his eyes open.

"Much" He sighs in content, shifting slightly on his spot. Just then Raph and April appeared at the entrance of the lair. I immediately get up, rushing over to them to help them get the piece of furniture into the room.

"Where'd you get it?" I ask, helping the chair over the turnstiles. April heaves out a breath.

"How we got it into the sewer is a better question" She mutters, cracking her knuckles, and her back before walking into the lair as well. But with Raph's help, we got the chair into the living room with ease.

"New bed?" Mikey jokes, voice raspy, as he sees the recliner. Raph chuckles lowly, abandoning the furniture piece and walking over to Mikey.

"Old grandpa seat, 'specially for you" He chuckles, grasping Mikey's hand. "How ya doing?" He asks softly, but I still caught the question. And I smile despite the situation, it was refreshing to see Raph's worried and vulnerable side once in a while.

"D hooked me up to some painkillers" Mikey explains, getting a bit whoozy at this point. But that was to be expected, and everything better than having him be in pain.

"Should we get him into the chair now?" I ask, facing Don.

My second youngest brother frowns for a moment. "I'd rather not move him at all, but it would make his breathing easier. We should do it eventually" He shrugs, looking at me and Raph for a moment, a silent communication going between us. We didn't need words most of the time to understand what we wanted.

So me and Don pushed the chair almost directly next to Mikey, Raph standing up to get ready to lift Mikey up.

"April, can you get the blanket from his room?" Don asks and April nods, hurrying off to the room. Don adjusted the pillows on the chair carefully before nodding to us. Mikey seemed a bit nervous to move though, slight fear in his eyes at the prospect of moving again.

"I'll be gentle grandpa" Raph mutters as he lifts the blanket from Mikey's body. Don was on top of Mikey almost immediately, inspecting the bandage on his plastron like a hawk. But the bandage was still stainless and white. So no bleeding, which was good. Mikey nodded sleepily, allowing Raph to pick him up.

Mikey groans weakly in pain, but Raph was being super careful, lowering Mikey at an agonisingly slow pace. Don carefully adjusted the chair when Mikey was seated, so he was situated at a 135 degrees, obtuse, angle. Mikey slowly took a breath, a slight smile passing onto his face.

"That helps?" Don asks with a smile, and Mikey nods.

"Breathing's easier" He confirms, weak eyes traveling to April coming back. Raph almost immediately took the blanket from April, draping it over Mikey's body and tucking him in slightly.

"Good" Raph says, the sentence rumbling from his chest. He sits down where Mikey had just been, picking up the thin blanket and wrapping it around himself. "I'd say a movie night is in order" He suggests and I nod.

"I second that" I say, watching as Don walks over to Raph, sitting down and taking half of the blanket so they were next to each other and wrapped up in one blanket. I chuckle, picking up another spare blanket and holding it out for April. She smiled, but instead tugging me along to the couch as well, sitting down next to Don.

She wraps the blanket around me and herself, shifting slightly until she was leaning against me.

Not surprisingly, it was only 15 minutes later before both April and Mikey were fast asleep. Mikey breathing comfortably in the recliner, still slightly pale and a continuous painkiller pumping into him, but alive. And April still leaning against my shoulder and a content look on her face.

I tug the blanket a bit tighter around her to keep her warm, settling back against the back of the couch and continuing watching the movie.

TMNT

"Who is there?!" I cry out, whirling around and pointing the pepper spray forwards, finger on the presser. I narrow my eyes, turning around again, but seeing nothing. _In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have walked through an alley_. I shake my head, lowering my arm and continuing to walk.

The pepper spray was still in my hand, ready to defend myself when I needed to.

 _Another noise_. I whirl around, raising the spray again.

"Show yourself!" I cry out, but no response. There was a light rustling behind me and I turn around again, ready to bolt at any moment. But I was in the middle of the alley it seemed, _perfect_ , I remark dryly. _Great job Em_.

"Up here" A low voice suddenly made itself known. I immediately snap my gaze upwards, but I couldn't see anything, only darkness.

"Who are you?" I demand, taking a hesitant step backwards.

"Please don't be scared" The voice, male, continues, and slowly a hand reveals itself, before a figure slowly lowers himself to the ground. He crouches down, like a scared dog that was hesitant. The stance almost unnatural, and so defensive. His eyes were filled with curiosity but his stance rigid.

It was one of the turtles.

"Don't get closer" I warn, raising the pepper spray. He jolts in fear almost, taking a cautious step backwards.

"I'm not here to hurt you Emely" The creature says softly, and against my better judgement, I lower the pepper spray. He seemed slightly confused, but stood up, coming back to full height. He was just slightly shorter than I was, but what he lacked in height, he made up for it with muscle.

But what was different about this one was the scar on his.. shell I guess.

"You're the one that got injured" I mumble, eyes going wide. He seemed to cringe slightly, rubbing his neck.

"Yea.. I was" He mumbles back, obviously uncomfortable with the memory of his injury. "That's why I'm here.. I wanted to say thank you for saving my life" He continues and I frown, cocking my head to the side.

"And I wanted to apologise for my brothers' behaviour, I heard what happened from my brothers since I wasn't completely… well lucid" He says, shrugging slightly. "They must've scared you, but that's only because they were scared for me I guess" He tells me, looking at me with bright blue eyes.

I open my eyes for a moment, but no words seemed to be coming out. _What could I say?_ I thought I'd never see these creatures again, it had been over 5 weeks, and no sign of them anywhere. Vic and I had spent hours to see if there were other sightings of them, there were a few, but not many.

And no report had clear pictures of them, but the majority had depicted them in one way: 'heroes'. Secret guardians that battled the crime in the city. Even if there were contradicting stories out there, and evidence for that matter. But having one in front of me again, was more important than any article.

"You have to say something lady.. that's kinda how a conversation works" The turtle chuckles uneasily and I blink a couple of times. He still seemed scared, guarded around me. _Of course he is_ , I scowl again. _Of course he would be wary around me, around humans. We all knew what the government would do to them_.

And to be quite frank, I didn't give them a reason not to distrust me.

"I'm a bit.. perplexed to me honest" I croak, throat suddenly dry. He chuckles at that sentence, nodding his head.

"I get that, we have that affect with every human" He says, cocking his head again, and shrugging. "Although most just scream. April did so" He continues.

"April was the other girl right?" He nods at the question. "Is she with you?"

"She's our friend, almost like a big sister. She's cool" He shrugs.

"So she's with you.. willingly..?" I ask, almost too afraid to ask, to upset him. But at this point I wasn't sure why, afraid that he'd be hurt, or that he'd hurt me. The turtle grins, nodding.

"Of course, I mean sure she had to get used to it but we're just like humans"

"What is your name?" I found myself asking suddenly, but he doesn't seem very surprised by the change of topic.

"Michelangelo, but I go by Mikey for short, Michelangelo is such a mouthful. Although our dad only calls us by our full names"

"Your father is a turtle as well?" I ask, and he seemed to stop for a second, seemingly thinking for a moment.

"No, he's a rat" He reveals, a bit less enthusiastic. He was probably afraid to say too much, reveal too much, or reveal something that could endanger his life, or his family's. So he had three brothers, if everyone was present during that night he got injured, and a father, who was a rat.

And at least one human friend. _This day just keeps getting better and better_.

A sudden sound interrupted our conversation, and he grabs something from his belt without really taking his eyes off me. "Sorry, I have to go. My bros don't really know I snuck out and they're asking me where I am" He apologises, putting his phone, _I guess_ , back.

"Wait!" I find myself yelling, covering my mouth immediately as Mikey tenses like a cornered animal, eyes darting around nervously. "I mean.. how do I get in contact with you again.. are-are you okay?" I ask hurriedly, stumbling over my words. Slowly, a sly grin appears on his face and he turns around again.

The scar on his shell, where a human chest would be, still all too noticeable.

"I'm okay, you fixed me up. Took some weeks, but it's healed" He says, putting a hand on his chest as if it was still healing, which was probably the case. "If you give me your phone I can give you my number, if you want to contact us again." He continues, and for a second I'm frozen, before I nod.

He seemed unsure of the arrangement as well, only moving hesitantly after a dubious look he gives me. We meet halfway and I extend my hand, phone in it. He looks at me, gently taking it from my hand. I wince as his scaly hand brushes my hand, but he doesn't notice, or decides to ignore it.

He takes a step backwards, unlocking the phone and typing in a number. _How did he even have one?_

"I-.. I dunno how to say this properly, but we can't be known to humans y'know, for obvious reasons" He mumbles, handing me back the phone.

"I won't tell" I assure him, shaking my head. He smiled slightly, nodding.

"I believe you, besides, you could have in these last 5 weeks" He says, crouching down and jumping up to the fire escape, and holding onto it with one arm before looking back at me. "Just give me a call if you want to talk or something, we kinda owe you for saving my life"

I nod at him, and he grins, waving down at me. I wave back, before Mikey disappears into the shadows. I chuckle slightly, turning around again to walk home. It was still fucked up, talking turtles running around New York, but one thing was made very clear in this conversation.

They weren't a threat, and I would keep their secret.

TMNT

Iki ga dekimasen - I can't breathe

Don Soreha no tame ni sashidegamashīdeshita - Don that was uncalled for

Watashi ni kare o ataeru - Give him to me

Kare wa dono yō ni? - How is he? (Mikey)

Shukketsu shinai - No bleeding.


End file.
